


Over-Easy

by SalomeWeil



Category: Star Wars Episode VII: The Force Awakens (2015)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Diners, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Breakfast, Diners, Eggs, F/M, Fluff, Former one-shot, Jaywalking, Strangers, Swearing, Toast, Waiters & Waitresses, singer songwriter recs, yes I just tagged toast
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-01-09
Updated: 2018-04-26
Packaged: 2019-03-02 20:02:36
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 6
Words: 11,118
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13325478
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SalomeWeil/pseuds/SalomeWeil
Summary: Rey Smith never gets an order wrong, but there's a first time for everything. Lucky for her this stranger doesn't mind too much.





	1. what a waste

**Author's Note:**

> This was supposed to be a one-shot. I just needed to exercise my Reylo muscles so I can get back to work on my other projects. Ah, these two. Life.
> 
> And now you all convinced me to write more. Look what you've done! ;)

“Excuse me, this isn’t my order.”

 

Rey turned back around slowly, long enough to allow her to fix her smile back in place, and then pinned it on the man in the booth.

 

“Eggs, over-easy, wheat toast?”

 

“These are over-hard.”

 

Rey looked from the plate to the man’s face and back again. They were over-hard. 

 

“Shit.”

 

“Pardon me?”

 

Rey blanched as she realized what she’d said and plowed on ahead. 

 

“I’m so sorry, I’ll take it back and bring another plate right out. It’ll be five minutes, I promise.”

 

The man sighed and glanced at his watch. “You know what, forget it. I don’t have five minutes to spare.”

 

“Sir -”

 

“I said, forget it. I’ll eat them as is. Thanks for trying.” 

 

He picked up his fork and began to cut into the offending food. 

 

Rey lingered, wiping her palms down her apron. “Sir…”

 

He glanced up at her. “It’s fine. Really.”

 

“I -” 

 

“Can I eat these in peace, please?”

 

Rey flushed, mad at herself, and nodded shortly. Then she forced herself to turn around and walk away. 

 

Her exit didn’t stop her from watching the patron from the safety of the kitchen, however, and not ten minutes later, as he was finishing up his food - he certainly consumed his meal like he genuinely didn’t have five minutes to spare - she was peering at him through the serving window. 

 

“Rey, will you go back to your shift, please?” Finn asked as he stepped around her for the fifth time. He dinged the bell. “Order up!”

 

“Shh! Finn!” she hissed and ducked out of sight as the patron, his ear caught by the sound of the bell, glanced up. 

 

“Rey, there are other customers out there. Who’s manning your tables right now?”

 

“Bebe,” Rey admitted. 

 

“Rey! Isn’t she about to give birth in the freaking dining room?”

 

“She’s only six months along, hush. She offered!”

 

“She offered so you could pull yourself together, not stalk a perfectly nondescript, polite customer from the kitchen while getting under our feet!”

 

Rey scowled at Finn. “He was hardly polite.”

 

“You said he said thanks.”

 

“It was a snide thanks. He didn’t mean it.”

 

“Rey.”

 

“Ok, shush. I’m going. But if I do something we both regret it’s your fault.”

 

“It’s yours for taking the order wrong in the first place and we both know that’s why you’re mad. Rey, it’s ok to get an order wrong every once in a while. Especially on a morning like this.”

 

“I  _ never  _ get orders wrong.”

 

“First time for everything. Order up!” 

 

“Finn!” Rey ducked out of sight again and Finn swatted at her with a dish towel.

 

“Get! Or I’m calling Poe over here!”

 

Rey got. After thanking Bebe for helping her out, she made the rounds of her tables again, ending in front of the man. He didn’t look up right away and she cleared her throat.

 

“Can I get you anything else?”

 

The man glanced up at her, looking a tad startled, and then shuffled away the phone he’d been holding. 

 

“Uh, no. Thank you.”

 

Rey bristled, unable to help herself. He’d tacked on that thank you as an afterthought. Like he almost forgot to say it. She took a breath in through her nose. Finn was right, she was just mad at herself. She shouldn’t take it out on a customer, especially when he hadn’t caused any trouble over it. 

 

“Ok. Thanks for coming. Hope we see you again,” she said brightly, before turning to walk away. 

 

This time the man cleared his throat. Rey turned back around.

 

“Yes?”

 

“My check, please?” he asked, waving at the table in front of him. “You forgot…”

 

“I didn’t forget to leave it, sir,” she replied as sweetly as possible. “I comped your meal. It’s our standard procedure when we get an order wrong.”

 

A small crease appeared in between the man’s eyebrows. “I didn’t ask for it to be comped.”

 

“But I got your order wrong.”

 

“And I said it was ok.”

 

“That doesn’t matter,” she replied, keeping her voice as even as possible. Christ, first she got an order wrong, next the man was arguing about having his meal comped. No one ever argued over a comped meal.  _ Ever _ .

 

“It matters to me,” he replied softly and for a moment, Rey swore he sounded almost...dangerous. A shiver went up her spine.

 

“Well...I appreciate that, sir,” she said cautiously, “but it’s our policy. I can’t charge you.”

 

“Can I at least see the bill?” he asked, appearing somewhat exasperated.

 

“I…”

 

He sighed and started to stand, sliding his long legs along the seat of the booth in order to free himself. “Never mind. I don’t have time to argue. Thank you for the meal, Miss…”

 

Rey found herself unable to respond when confronted with the massive size of the man in front of her. She saw his eyes flick towards her chest, where her name tag was pinned, and back to her face.

 

“...Rey,” he murmured, completing his previous thought. His expression softened inexplicably and Rey felt herself flushing again as the thought suddenly struck her that he was  _ cute _ .

 

“You’re welcome,” she found herself replying automatically even as she watched him pull out his wallet and toss a crumpled ten dollar bill on the table. “You really don’t -”

 

“I want to,” he said, stopping her mid-sentence. Then he grinned at her and the way it lit up his face, brightening his gaze in a goofy curve, was so unexpected that Rey was positive her heart skipped a beat. 

 

“See you around,” he said before brushing past her.

 

Rey turned and watched him walk to the door, watched as he paused at the cash register to grab a toothpick before pushing open the door of the small dive and heading down the street. 

 

From somewhere behind her, a bell dinged.

 

“Order up!”


	2. where this story goes

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The stranger remains just that, but he's on the road to becoming a regular stranger.

______________________________________________

 

Rey sashayed across the small dining room, swinging her hips as she sang along with Amy Andrews over the dive’s crackly loudspeaker system.

 

_ “Have you see the moon tonight? Hmm-mmm...Baby take a walk with me...” _

 

“Woo! Sing it, girl!” Finn hollered from the kitchen. Rey turned briefly to stick her tongue out at him only to hear the bell over the door jingle. Turning back around, she caught her breath.

 

Tall, dark, and cute was back.

 

Luckily for them both, Rey was a professional and, in the two days since the breakfast debacle, as Poe had called it upon hearing Finn’s retelling, she’d gotten her order mojo back. She pasted her smile on and tried not to let her gaze wander over his broad frame as she pulled out a menu.

 

“Table for one?” she asked brightly and he nodded, mute, but offered her a generic smile. Rey glanced around the room.

 

“Would you care to sit at the bar?”

 

“No, thank you.”

 

“He speaks!” Rey murmured coyly as she turned to lead him over to a table. She immediately kicked herself internally. What the hell was it about this man that made her regress? The strains of the song caught her ear and she hummed along.

 

_ “Hmmm - I don’t know...hmmm - where this story goes…” _

 

“We have spoken before,” the man pointed out patiently a few seconds later, interrupting Rey’s reverie, and she nodded shortly before stopping in front of a booth at the window.

 

“Of course,” she replied softly, then set the menu on the table. 

 

He glanced at her before sliding into the seat and picking up the menu.

 

“Something to drink, sir?”

 

He looked back up at her. “Uh, orange juice, if you have it?”

 

“You do have the menu, sir,” Rey said, but she made sure her smile was firmly in place. “But yes, we have orange juice.”

 

Had he grown scruff in the two days since he’d been in last? 

 

He lowered his gaze back to the menu.

 

“Orange juice, then, and coffee.” He lifted his gaze back up to hers. “Cream and sugar.”

 

Was it her imagination, or did he emphasize sugar? Rey fought the rising flush on her cheeks. 

 

“Of course. I’ll be right back with those,” she said, and turned to go.

 

_ “Baby take a walk with me…” _

 

From inside the kitchen, Finn stared at her, hard. “Are you having eye-sex with him?” 

 

“Finn!” Rey hissed as she poured a cup of coffee with shaking hands.

 

“Peanut, I’m just looking out for you. We don’t need a customer thinking he can get fresh with one of our wait staff.”

 

“ _ Finn _ .”

 

“Listen, you need me to come out there and serve him? Cause I can do that. I’d  _ serve _ him, all right…”

 

“Oh, gross! Finn!” Now she laughed as she caught the wink Finn gave her. 

 

“That got his attention,” the cook told her and she rolled her eyes. “You are impossible. I’m going.”

 

“Remember to tell him the OJ is  _ fresh squeezed!”  _ Finn called after her retreating form. Rey resisted the urge to flip him off, knowing she was in plain view of their customer.

 

“Coffee and orange juice,” Rey said as she set the mug and glass on the table in front of him. She pulled a handful of cold creamer cups from her apron pocket and set them on the table as well before lifting a sugar dispenser from a nearby table and bringing it over. “Cream and sugar,” she added.

 

“Thank you,” he replied quietly.

 

“Are you ready to order?” she asked and he reviewed the menu one more time. Rey heard the songs switching over and Christopher Dallman’s soothing tones lulled her, dropping the tension from her shoulders as she stood waiting for the man’s order.  

 

_ “...gotta fool my heart so I can fool my head…” _

 

“Pardon?” The man looked back up at her and she flushed. Had she been humming along again?

 

“Uh, your order - I can take it now,” she muttered quickly and the man took one of his huge hands to his face, rubbing at his jaw. The scruff suits him, she thought. Then she immediately looked anywhere but at him.

 

“Right.” He began to bounce one of his legs under the table. “Just eggs, over-easy, and wheat toast, please.”

 

Rey raised an eyebrow. All the waiting...for the same order.

 

“So, the same thing as last time?”

 

“Well, hopefully you get it right this time,” he replied, and Rey nearly scowled.

 

“Listen, I -”

 

He backpedaled immediately, saving her the energy.

 

“It was a joke. I’m sorry. I don’t - I’m not - it’s fine. I’m going to drink my coffee. And catch up on my stocks. You can go now.”

 

God, he was awkward and  _ adorable _ . Rey had to mess with him.

 

“I can go now?”

 

“I just - you must have other things you need to take care of. You don’t have to -” He sighed. “Fuck.”

 

Rey laughed out loud. “We’re not exactly busy right now; you’re the only one here. But it’s nice to know I’m not the only individual who gets flustered before nine a.m.. Listen, enjoy your coffee, no hard feelings, and I’ll make sure you get the right order this time, if I have to stand over Finn’s shoulder.”

 

Then she did something she would never, ever do under normal circumstances - she winked at the man before walking away, hips swaying to the music.

 

When she was safely ensconced in the kitchen a few minutes later, watching Finn cook the breakfast as she’d promised, the cook grilled her for details. 

 

“You seriously winked at him? God, Rey! Never encourage them that way! He could turn into a stalker or something!”

 

She laughed again. “You’re the one who was making horrible food innuendo!”

 

“Yeah, you’re right, I was,” he admitted, sliding the perfectly cooked over-easy eggs from the griddle to the waiting plate. “But he is a tall drink of water.”

 

“Who checks his stocks on his phone, apparently,” Rey added. “Funny. I would’ve pegged him for construction.”

 

“What, construction workers can’t own stock?”

 

“I never -”

 

“You’re such a classist, Rey.”

 

“Oh, shut up,” Rey replied, snagging the freshly toasted wheat bread from the rack and placing it next to the eggs. 

 

“Butter,” Finn reminded her, pointing at the refrigerator with his spatula. 

 

“What, no innuendo that time?” she asked, sticking out her tongue.

 

“Try that instead of winking next time,” Finn replied. “He’ll have a heart attack.”

 

“You’re terrible!” Rey called over her shoulder, kicking the fridge door shut behind her and making her way from the kitchen. 

 

The bell over the door jingled twice on her way across the dining room to the man’s booth and Rey sent sunny smiles and greetings over at the customers, welcoming them to seat themselves for the time being.

 

She was fully conscious that the man was watching her the entire time - until she looked over at him again. Then he ducked his head and stared determinedly at his phone. She arrived at his side and slid the plate of food onto the table. 

 

“Over-easy, wheat toast,” she said cheerfully and watched him lift his gaze to the plate, then to her.

 

He gave her that goofy grin and her heart skipped a beat again. Yep, that was definitely not a mistake the last time.

 

“Perfect,” he said, and she smiled back at him.

 

____________________________________________________

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapter title from The Moon Song by Amy Andrews - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fx4SR1HDaLs  
> Songs as above, and Over My Head by Christopher Dallman - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qb45Zq2WJjQ


	3. I don't think

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Mr. Over-Easy insinuates his way into Rey's life further. Is it fate or just fortuitous timing?

“Rey.”

 

The woman in question glanced up at her boss curiously. She hadn’t been ignoring him. She’d just been...reading the latest opinion piece on The Atlantic. Which wasn’t the same as ignoring, if he was always encouraging her to keep learning and growing, right?

 

“Yes?” she asked, eager to seem as attentive as she generally tried to be for him.

 

“Are you ok with the same schedule as last week?” Poe looked up at her from the charts in front of him, his brown eyes warm and friendly, but clearly tired. Not that she could blame him. His wife was having their first child, after all, and if everything Bebe had shared at work was true, Poe was even more anxious over the whole affair than she was.

 

“Absolutely,” Rey said brightly.

 

He smiled in thanks at first, and bent his head to his work again, marking something down. A moment later, though, he lifted his gaze to her again. Concern was painted across his features.

 

“Are you sure it won’t be a problem? Finn mentioned you’ve got a new guy who’s...persistent.”

 

Rey was completely taken aback, sort of. She should’ve guessed Finn would say something to Poe about it, despite his heavy innuendo and saucy winking. She sighed.

 

“It’s fine,” she said.

 

Poe looked reluctant to continue, but seemed prepared to test out his best Papa Bear on Rey. 

 

“It better be. Because if it isn’t, all you have to do is call me -”

 

“It’s  _ fine _ . Finn is overreacting.”

 

“Don’t gaslight me.”

 

“I’m not!”

 

“Rey -” Poe pointed at her and seemed ready to give her some kind of a talk when his phone rang. He pressed the phone to his ear. “Ah, hang on.” He looked back at Rey and murmured, “We’re not done with this, Rey.” 

 

She watched him glance back down to his paperwork and then stood up, shoving her phone and half-read article back into her pocket. 

 

“Fine. I’ll be back in fifteen for my shift.”

 

Poe waved, but didn’t look up again. The bell over the door jingled as she went out. 

 

Ordinarily, she enjoyed the early morning weekly meetings. The crisp air of dawn, the purple, rosy hue that painted the sky, the way all the shadows from the previous night softened around the edges until the dingy grey of the sidewalks merged with the faded asphalt of the streets: it was a portrait of her city when she liked it best.

 

But this morning, Poe was anxious about his wife’s impending due date, and Finn kept giving them both side-eyes, and Rey herself would be lying if she said she wasn’t sort of looking forward to seeing Mr. Over-Easy again. 

 

She crossed the street to the nearby coffee chain and knocked on the door. She could just hear the soft strains of some indie singer-songwriter floating over their speaker system, interspersed with the laughter of the sisters inside and the blaring noises of the machinery that made up their livelihood. 

 

Rose walked up to the door and flipped the Open sign over, then unlocked it to let her friend in. 

 

“Still haven’t learned to brew your own coffee, Smith?” Paige called from behind the counter, apparently entirely unrelaxed despite the gentle song playing in the background.

 

“ _...oh make me cry, oh make me want this…” _

 

Rose smiled and shrugged at Rey, who returned the expression. 

 

“I’m supporting small business,” she replied as she neared the counter.

 

“We’re a franchise,” Paige pointed out.

 

“Salty,” Rey quipped, then pointed at one of the signs on the menu board. “I want that.”

 

“Salted toffee mocha? Of course you do.” Rose grinned. “Hang on, though, we just got the sauce in. I have to dig it out.”

 

“It’s in the fridge,” Paige said.

 

“When did you have time to unpack the boxes?” Rose asked curiously as she set about making Rey the featured drink.

 

“Last night. You know I don’t sleep. I’m going to bag up the grounds and set them out back.”

 

“Trash pick up?” Rey asked while she waited.

 

“No. One of the local crews uses them. Something about a community garden? Whatever. I don’t have time for gossip. Get her the drink and get her out of here,” she directed at Rose. “I don’t need her taking up valuable counter space.”

 

“Hey! I pay for these,” Rey said, protesting, but Paige just flipped her the bird and kept walking into the backroom.

 

“You know that’s just how she is,” Rose said conspiratorially. 

 

“I know,” Rey replied, smiling. “The first time I ever saw her, I was scavenging in your dumpster and -”

 

“And she dragged you out of there with her bare hands, read you the riot act, then made you sit in a corner of the kitchen while she slipped you the day old pastries for two hours until social services could send someone out.”

 

“ _...when all I need to know is myself and what I’m made for…” _

 

Rey and Rose grinned at each other.

 

“Still salty,” Rey said.

 

“Here’s your drink,” Rose replied, setting a large cup before her on the countertop. “It oughta be salty, too. But sweet. Like me.” She batted her lashes and Rey laughed, paid, and then waved at the other woman on her way out the door.

 

She paused as the quiet and the cool breeze hit her again and dared a deep breath of the city air around her. It was just six o’clock. She didn’t really have time to stroll past the small park a block away, but she wanted to, very badly. There wasn’t much green in her life and normally it didn’t bother her, but today...today there was a hint of something new and earthy in the air and she wanted to see if the trees there had betrayed the first signs of Spring.

 

She glanced at the small storefront that had become the gateway to her life over the last year and could just see Poe’s dark head of hair through the glare on the large glass windows. He was still talking on the phone, ignoring everything else. Soon the smell of freshly brewing coffee and sizzling bacon grease would fill the air of that small restaurant and the patrons would begin trickling, then piling in the doors. Then Bebe would waddle up to the doors, having parked three blocks away to spite her husband while proving that she had indeed still driven since he was so god-damned worried about her health and overdoing it, and Poe would shout that he didn’t have time for her sass, and she’d ignore him, and Finn would churn out a literal ton of eggs and hash and pancakes in the course of three hours, and then it would quiet down for twenty minutes before the lunch rush began and they’d do it all over again. 

 

Oh, she really, truly wanted to see the park today, but the time she could have stolen to make that happen had just been spent staring at her workplace nostalgically. 

 

Rey sighed, straightened her shoulders, and put a foot out over the curb in order to walk back over to the restaurant - and suddenly, in a dim vision, her world changed -

 

\- a car horn blared from somewhere just to her left -

 

\- she turned her head to look instead of turning her body -

 

\- but instead of the expected, violent impact, there was a pair of hard, strong hands on her shoulders, pulling her back over the curb -

 

\- her heels hit the sidewalk, scraped clean through the tights she wore -

 

\- her drink was jostled forward out of her hands -

 

\- a horn blared again, this time from across the street -

 

\- someone, maybe Rose, was yelling -

 

“You’re shaking,” someone else was saying.

 

Rey found herself nodding. Fear and anger alike were coursing through her strongly. She was tucked against someone, surrounded by warmth and flannel. 

 

“Rey! Are you ok?” Rose was asking, breathlessly. The sounds of the coffee shop tumbled out the open door after her, breaking through the momentary buzzing in Rey’s ears. It felt like her ears were still ringing with the blaring of that car’s horn.

 

“ _...and in between the lies of hope and fate I see your face… _ ”

 

“Don’t be afraid,” the someone holding her said.

 

Rey attempted to look up and was overcome by a wave of dizziness. Shock, she thought. I’ve never been in shock, before. Almost been killed lots of times, but never in shock over it.

 

“It was unexpected. That’s all. Whoa, easy.” It was a man, the someone holding her up. His voice was deep and tinged with something dangerous, but he was being very kind. Rey wondered if she’d spoken aloud. 

 

“Oh my god. You saved her. Oh, god. Thank you, thank you -”

 

“My drink -” was all Rey could think to say in that moment.

 

“I’ll make you another. Come back inside,” implored Rose.

 

“I have work -”

 

“Easy there!” The man’s grip on her tightened as the world spun around her again.

 

_ Easy...easy...over-easy _ . She gasped. She knew she’d recognized that voice.

 

Rey looked up, straight at that goofy smile from before, and tried to smile back.

 

“Thank you,” she managed to stammer out around chattering teeth.

 

“Of course,” he murmured. Then, without asking, he tucked her under one arm and walked her across the street to the restaurant, pushing off Rose’s protests with a firm, “No, thanks, I’ve got her,” that did something funny to Rey’s stomach.

 

Poe looked up from his paperwork in surprise, before suspicion, quickly followed by anger, rippled over his expression. He was just standing up when Finn burst out of the kitchen.

 

“Rey! Rose just texted me. I heard the car horns, but I didn’t see anything, are you ok?”

 

“Let go of my hand - I’m fine -”

 

When had Mr. Over-Easy stopped holding her? She realized he’d taken a step back and that his hands and arms were back at his sides while Finn fawned over her. 

 

“Rey, how many times have I told you to quit jaywalking?” 

 

“Finn -  _ Poe _ , I’m fine!”

 

But the other man didn’t seem to hear her, because he turned on her rescuer instead, even more fierce.

 

“Are you stalking her?”

 

“What? No!” the man blustered, completely taken aback.

 

“Poe!” Rey wasn’t sure which was worse: her shock from moments before, or her apparent invisibility as her boss practiced being an overprotective parent. 

 

“Because you know I can kick you out of here, no problem.”

 

“Finn, will you say something to this idiot?” Rey hissed as she watched the storm clouds gather on both men’s brows. 

 

Mr. Over-Easy’s eyes suddenly met hers and he swallowed. One side of his jaw tensed. She bit her lower lip in response and felt her breath catch in her throat.

 

And then the moment was over. He shoved his hands in his pockets and his eyes refocused on Poe.

 

“No need. I’m just here for breakfast. And my work is on the other side of the street, two blocks down. I’m not stalking anyone. Just fortuitous timing.”

 

Rey and Finn both held their breath as they watched Poe process his response and come to a decision. 

 

Poe’s face collapsed into amiability. 

 

“All right, then. Thanks for saving our girl.”

 

“How many times will it take for Poe to get the hint that I am nobody’s girl?” Rey whispered to Finn.

 

“You’ll be fine once Bebe has the baby,” Finn whispered back. Then he clapped Rey on the shoulder and smiled broadly at the man - Rey’s saviour and newest regular. “Have a seat. This breakfast is on us.”

 

“We’ll see,” he said, directing a smile at Rey.

 

Rey blushed, then turned and headed for the kitchen and her apron. She could feel a pair of eyes on her the entire way.

 

___________________________________________________________

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Songs:   
> In chapter lyrics from Saved by Margaret Bushman: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iqSgPLT6X78  
> Chapter title from The Moon Song by Amy Andrews: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fx4SR1HDaLs 
> 
> Ah, I'm so happy to bring you all another chapter of this. This one is pure romance novel trope fluff. It's so nice to delve into something so far outside my life. Although, for all people make fun of romance novels, they have their parallels to real life. Someone may not save your life from oncoming traffic, but just being present can save someone's life sometimes. Likewise, we may not all have someone that antagonizes and fascinates us via physical violence and space-magic, but we often have people in our lives who challenge us either in a work or social setting. So. The next time you meet someone and are unsure of them, think about Kylo and Rey. What would Rey do? 
> 
> P.S. This AN went totally off the rails. I'm sorry. I don't know where I was originally going, but it made sense at the time. Cheers.


	4. where I'd be

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Rey is relearning the lesson that sometimes it's what isn't being said that matters.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> TRIGGER WARNING - Implied infant/child loss. It's not very clear, but it's a possible reading of some of the early dialogue between Bebe, Rey, and Finn at the beginning of their scene, and I know how I am about these things, so a trigger warning is deserved and fair. However, it's not personal to any of the characters, if that helps at all, and is the first and last time I'll make such a reference.

* * *

Rey woke up at 4:30 the morning after the near miss, her chest heaving as if she’d just been sprinting. A phantom’s voice, leftover from the dream she’d had, still slid along her ear canal. It was tantalizing and mysterious, its timbre dark and pitch deep. 

 

_ Rey. Rey... _

 

_ Easy. _

 

She licked her lips, ran a hand up into her hair, and didn’t go back to sleep.

 

* * *

 

Finn and Bebe were having some sort of argument when Rey arrived for her shift. They stopped short when they saw her. Rey rolled her eyes and walked past them to where a small row of thin lockers lined the back wall of the kitchen. She spoke to them without turning around when she heard them begin whispering.

 

“No need to whisper.”

 

“No need to be put out,” Bebe replied.

 

“I’m not put out,” Rey said, her voice stoic. “I would just prefer you didn’t pretend you had a secret when you know that I know what you were talking about.” 

 

Bebe hummed and then patted Rey on the shoulder. “Well. Okay.”

 

“What are you doing here so early?” Rey asked and Finn spoke up.

 

“Boss is out on a mission.”

 

“More Craigslist?” Rey asked and Bebe groaned while tying on her own apron.

 

“We have everything we need, really. But he saw another deal for like, three boxes of unused infant clothing and couldn’t resist.”

 

“Why would anyone have three whole boxes of unused - nevermind. I don’t want to know,” Finn said. He went back to mixing eggs for the french toast.

 

“That has to be bad juju - ah, sorry, Bebe,” Rey said. She finished tying on her own apron and cast a guilty look at the other woman.

 

Bebe shrugged. “It’s awful, but it’s a fact of life. Besides, it’s not like we have the money to be truly picky. As long as he doesn’t come home telling me the stories behind it all, I’m okay with it.”

 

Bebe walked back over to the small prep station Finn had set up and picked up an onion. “How many cups this morning?” she asked the cook, who turned and signaled four with his fingers. She began methodically slicing and chopping. Rey stood next to her, peeling two more of the large, sweet onions. 

 

Rey fished for information while she helped. “So I have the floor alone until…”

 

“He should be back in an hour and a half. You won’t be on your own out there that long.” 

 

“Is that what you two were arguing over?”

 

Bebe ignored Rey’s question. “Finn, how many tomatoes?”

 

“At least five to start.” Finn didn’t ignore Rey’s question. “And yes, we were arguing over you being alone out there with...you know.”

 

“See? You don’t even know his name!” Bebe muttered, her irritation spilling out despite her smiles and calm conversation.

 

“I do too know his name,” Rey said, setting the peeled onions next to Bebe’s cutting board. She turned to the refrigerator and began counting out tomatoes.

 

Finn stopped what he was doing. “Rey! You never said!”

 

“Because it doesn’t matter,” Rey replied. “He’s just a customer.”

 

“Yeah, but he’s a  _ smoking hot _ customer-”

 

“Smoking like your french toast?” Bebe interrupted and Finn scoffed.

 

“What kind of bad joke is that?” Finn responded and Bebe rolled her eyes.

 

“No, Finn. Literally, your french toast is smoking,” Bebe said, pointing her paring knife in the direction of the griddle behind Finn. He gave a gasp of horror and turned his attention back to his job, effectively silenced for the moment. Rey grinned and finished stacking the vegetables for the morning’s omelette fixings at Bebe’s station. Then she wiped her hands down her apron, grabbed a pencil from the jar by the kitchen door, and headed out into the dining room.

 

There was soft music filtering out over the speakers already and she felt her body relax into the rhythm of the morning, content and fluid in the motions. Check the sugar shakers. Sweet N Low packets, Splenda, Sugar In The Raw, all in a line. Ketchup; extra napkins.  

 

_ “...gonna take a little space of my own and a place to call home…” _

 

Her thoughts ran unchecked as she did all those things that were second-nature to her by now while she pressed her lips together and hummed softly. She was glad to allow herself this time: the luxury of a few moments of headspace, devoted to expelling the rush of giddy confusion that accompanied her memories of yesterday.

 

Finn and Bebe arguing didn’t do anything to relieve her own concerns - not that she was concerned - but instead brought on a fresh wave of memories: of how she must’ve caught him staring at her at least five times...and how he caught her doing the same. Or how he’d asked her how she was feeling when she brought him his breakfast; and how he’d laughed off her concerns when she’d asked him about Poe’s confrontation. Or how he’d caught her wrist gently in one large hand before she’d left his table for the last time; and tucked a ten dollar bill into her hand in a gesture so  _ intimate _ …or how he’d smiled at her so warmly before he’d left; and told her to call him Ben; and written his phone number on a napkin “just in case” she needed “anything. Anything at all.”

 

The bell over the door jingled invitingly and Rey glanced up, ready to welcome their first customer of the day, same as always.

 

_ “...but how do I know what it means…” _

 

Her voice stuck in her throat and she was caught, staring once again, unable to help herself. 

 

_ “Hello. Ben.”  _ In her mind’s eye, she’d just spoken the words to him, cool and suave, betraying nothing, but inviting everything. Instead, he spoke to her first and it was almost enough to thaw her out so that she felt herself smiling at him.

 

“Hi, Rey.” He held out a drink cup from Rose’s coffee shop toward her. “Salted Toffee Mocha, right?”

 

“I hope you didn’t pay for that.”

 

“I didn’t,” he replied, and Rey’s heart slowed down some. “Your friend caught me walking past this morning and made me wait for it.”

 

“Good.It’s bad enough you won’t let us comp a meal.”

 

He laughed lightly, but didn’t deny her statement, and Rey found she was able to move again. She gestured toward the booth near the window that he’d come to use most often. 

 

“Your usual?” she asked as he nodded and started to move away. 

 

He paused and dragged his gaze back over to her and his eyes were dark and dangerous, and Rey knew she hadn’t imagined that look in his eyes, all those times before. There was something about this man...but she wasn’t afraid of it. She wondered if he was.

 

“Yes,” he murmured, his smile gone, but his mouth relaxed.

 

The music from overhead eased into another song and when Ben’s eyes met hers, it felt somehow like he was saying so much more with a single word than she could ever understand, or even hope to express.

 

“... _ I’m gonna put my family back together again…” _

 

Rey swallowed, found her voice, and forced herself to keep meeting his gaze.

 

“Coffee?”

 

“Yes,” he repeated and this time, though he didn’t smile outright, the corner of his mouth quirked up, just a little. He continued. “Cream and -”

 

“Sugar. Yeah. I remember.”

 

“Me too,” he replied and this time when he winked at her, she grinned back at him. Then she turned away and took his order to the kitchen, humming along once more.

 

“ _...you’re gonna keep my soul it was yours to have long ago…” _

 

“You two are disgusting,” Finn announced, already flipping two eggs onto a plate when Rey walked up.

 

“You call that over-easy?” she responded, electing to ignore his commentary.

 

“No, but over-sloppy isn’t an actual cooking term,” Bebe chimed in.

 

“Sloppy is as sloppy does,” Finn griped, handing the plate off to Rey.

 

Rey rolled her eyes. “Ok, enlighten me. How the hell is anything in the exchange we just had sloppy?”

 

“Please. It looks like he’s either ready to drag you out the door and back to his cave, or deflower one of our tables on the spot.”

 

Rey blushed, but laughed, while Bebe chewed on her lower lip and darted glances out at the man. “You said you know his name, Rey?”

 

“Yeah. He told me yesterday. It’s Ben, not that it’s anyone else’s business.”

 

Bebe raised an eyebrow. “Hmm. Well. Make sure he knows you’re not alone in here.”

 

“Bebe, he knows, trust me. None of you are exactly subtle.”

 

“Rey. Take the man his eggs before they congeal,” Finn said, waving his spatula at her. “And tell him I expect goo-goo eyes at this stage, not bedroom eyes.”

 

“I don’t think he’s capable of anything less than a five on the smoldering scale,” Bebe chimed in. 

 

Rey groaned and waved a hand at them before grabbing the coffee pot. “Poe better get back soon. He does realize you two are the troublemakers and not me, right?”

 

“Keep talking, Rey. I’m having his child. I’m beyond retribution!” Bebe called after her and Rey could hear Finn choking back laughter as she walked away.

 

She kept walking and didn’t stop until she was at Ben’s side and pouring him coffee. He glanced up at her, putting away his phone.

 

“Checking your stocks?” she asked conversationally because, why not? His smile crinkled the corners of his eyes and she caught her lower lip between her teeth.

 

“Maybe. Rey -”

 

“Yes?” Her voice was breathless and when she met his gaze for the second time that morning, she swore he could tell exactly what she was thinking, feeling, wanting…

 

He seemed to hesitate, but then his lips stretched into the goofy smile that had been capturing her attention for so many days and whatever promise the moment had held was gone.

 

“Thank you,” he said softly and reached up to take the mug of coffee from her. Their hands met, fingers crossing fingers over the warm ceramic of the mug, and Rey wondered if her heart was beating loud enough for him to hear it. 

 

“You’re welcome,” she replied, and smiled back at him. 

 

_Easy._

 

* * *

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Lyrics in chapter from the following songs:   
> 1) Heal by Saachi Sen: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AvsTAb4viDY  
> 2) Keepsake by State Radio: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nRXnoHDD6T4


	5. the sky alight

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Our intrepid waitress runs into her loyal customer outside the restaurant and everything is wrong...and right.

_________________________________________

 

Rey’s day off was usually spent at the laundromat, the library, and occasionally Finn’s or Rose’s apartment, with a healthy dose of walking everywhere in between and today was no different.

 

Her early morning jog to the nearby farmers’ market to stock up on fresh produce and other staple groceries had already been completed. She’d long since been to the laundromat and her clean clothes were in turns folded and put away, her delicates hanging on a foldable drying rack in her small apartment. And finally, her trip to the library had been fruitful and resulted in the latest best seller in one hand as she sat on a park bench and enjoyed the afternoon sun as it filtered through the city buildings’ shadows and the sparse trees. She had a date for the movies with Rose much later, but for now she was content to get lost in the mystery of why so-and-so had murdered what's-his-name and how on earth would the police ever solve the crime?

 

“Hey!”

 

Rey lifted her head. She could hear the bustle of the city streets from her resting place, particularly since there was a construction site the next lot over, but that had sounded suspiciously close, as if it were directed at her.

 

When she didn’t see anyone right away, she looked back down at the book in her hands. Barely a second later, there was an additional call, followed by strong language. She kept her nose buried in the book. Maybe it was just someone having a bad day-

 

“Hey, are you deaf? I’ve been calling to you for the last minute. Look, you can’t sit here -”

 

Rey looked up again to find a tall figure in front of her, the sun just high enough behind him and the hard hat and vest just unfamiliar enough that it took her a moment to figure out who it was. When she did, she smiled brightly.

 

“Oh, hello!” she said, breaking the silence. The man had stopped gesturing and now he shifted some and took off the hard hat. Ben’s dark, wavy hair was matted down somewhat, sticking to his forehead with sweat, and there were obvious stains on his shirt and pants, beneath the rest of the protective and safety gear he wore.

 

Rey realized she was staring and tried to look elsewhere, except Ben apparently had the same thought and unfortunate timing, because their eyes kept meeting anyway.

 

“I’m...sorry,” he said cautiously. “That was rude of me.”

 

Rey shrugged a little. “If you know it was rude, why say it in the first place?”

 

He smiled slightly in amusement at her frankness and motioned to the bench. Half of it was empty and Rey shook her head some before sliding over on it a little more.

 

“Please,” she said. She watched him fold his tall, broad frame in order to sit on the bench. It was so reminiscent of the way he took up a seat in the restaurant that she could almost imagine they were in the safety of the restaurant still: where their roles were clearly defined and any flirting or sexual tension was negated at the end of the day by a check and a tip.

 

But no, here they were in the real world once again, thrust together unexpectedly - a chance meeting, only this time there were no speeding cars, bruised heels, or spilled drinks. This time there was only a soft breeze, a blue sky, and the warmth of the sun. She carefully closed the book over her library receipt and cast small glances in his direction. Her stomach suddenly felt like a stone, weighing on her lungs, making it hard to breath.

 

Desperate for something to say, she gestured over to the other lot. “So, this is the construction site you work at?”

 

Ben nodded slowly. “Yes. We’re running behind schedule right now, but I think we can catch up if we have good weather next week.” He offered the additional information as if he were apologizing and Rey guessed he felt as awkward as she did and was looking for a way out of the conversation. Instead he surprised her in the next breath by picking up the previous thread of conversation.

 

“You’re right,” he said, in response to her prim accusation from earlier. “I shouldn’t have said what I did. But this park isn’t technically open right now. It isn’t complete; add to that the construction happening in the lot next door and it’s extremely unsafe.” He gave her a curious look. “You honestly didn’t see any of the signs?”

 

Rey shrugged slightly and screwed her lips up as she looked at her surroundings more closely. Sure enough, there were a couple of signs on posts, sticking out the nearby, yet-to-be-landscaped ground, and a few safety cones. She tried to muster up some indignation anyway.

 

“I was distracted, I guess. It’s such a pretty day...and anyway, aren’t there usually fences up around construction sites?”

 

Ben had the grace to look a little uncomfortable at the second accusation in as many minutes and leaned over his knees. He focused on the helmet in his hands for a moment before answering.

 

“You’re right, of course,” he said, and his voice seemed...tight, tense. A little off...a little dangerous. Rey shivered despite the warm sunshine. Ben went on.

 

“This park...isn’t technically part of the contract. It was originally supposed to be a parking garage extension, but it was superfluous to the building structure and existing underground parking garage design, so I adjusted the plans to make space for a small park. Curb appeal is underrated in corporate architecture.” He laughed derisively. “But It’s my design, so it’s my responsibility. It’s not part of the budget.”

 

“You mean...it’s your money? It’s a completely independent project?”

 

“Yes. My boss doesn’t exactly care about the environment. But there are so many damn parking lots already in this city…”

  


Ben continued to stare at his helmet moodily and Rey could see his fingers were holding it tightly, despite the appearance of fluidity. She impulsively reached a hand over and rested it on top of one of his.

 

“That’s awful your boss isn’t supportive of your design, or the environment, or even the well-being of the city’s citizens. Green spaces are so important these days...I think it’s wonderful you’re creating one. Even if you can’t afford to cordon them off properly for safety.”

 

Ben had stilled as her hand touched his and he looked over at her now. He seemed to be considering something, but instead of letting himself voice his thought, he merely shook his head and looked back to his helmet. Rey decided to try and coax him back into conversation.

 

“So you don’t get along with your boss very well?”

 

He shook his head at that and a painful smile quirked up one side of his mouth.

 

“That’s an understatement.”

 

“I know...look, I know all about working for and associating with people you don’t like in order to survive, but why are you still working for this company if you dislike your boss so much? It seems like you’re doing ok for yourself.”

 

He huffed a little and glanced away. “Do I?

 

“Well, you own stocks. That’s more than I have going for me, and I like my job.”

 

He laughed outright at that. “If that was all it took...I can’t deny there’s truth in what you’re saying, but sometimes you have to work with the devil in order to get where you’re going. This isn’t the greatest company in the world, but at least it allows me a little leighway to pursue projects I do care about. And make enough money to hopefully do more than that in the future.”

 

““That’s so...mercenary,” Rey said, recoiling slightly.

 

“Yes,” Ben replied, not bothering to deny it.

 

Rey searched his face. “Surely there’s a better way to live?”

 

“There may be, for other people.”  Again, he offered nothing more and Rey finally sighed and glanced away. She could feel Ben shifting beside her and was surprised when he spoke again. It certainly wasn’t what she’d expected to hear after the previous topic of conversation.

 

“Is it your day off?”

 

Rey looked back and met his gaze, determined to ignore the feeling of unreality. Maybe she was making too big a deal out of the conversation and to him, it was just small talk. She did small talk with him in the restaurant. She could surely engage in small talk with him in the real world, too. “Yes. I was just at the library earlier.” She lifted the book in her hands in explanation. Then she tucked it into the bag at her side.

 

“Well...good luck,” she said, standing up. “Thanks for setting me straight about the, uh, park.” She glanced around before looking back at him to see he’d stood up as well.

 

“It should be done by next Thursday,” he blurted out. “The park, I mean. The building won’t be completed for another three weeks, but the park should be relatively safe next week. I’ll make sure of it.”

 

Rey caught her breath and tried to tell herself he didn’t mean it in a personal, _I’ll make sure it gets done just for you_ , way. No, he was just talking shop. Making small talk, like she apparently couldn’t because her brain wasn’t making her mouth say words just then. Instead, she was too distracted by the way the breeze had managed to unstick his hair from his forehead and now it was curling lightly along his cheeks, lazing over his eyes, and she had to clench her free hand into a fist to keep from reaching up and brushing it away. Instead, after a moment, she reached said hand up to brush at _her own_ hair.

 

Ben apparently had the same idea because he reached a hand up at the same time and their fingers collided.

 

His eyes went wide.

 

Rey forgot how to breathe.

 

Ben snatched his hand away quickly while Rey continued to stand there with hers at half mast, feeling like an idiot and entirely _too warm_. When had the temperature spiked? Was it the sunshine? It must have been the sunshine.

 

Ben lost control of his mouth for the second time.

 

“Have dinner with me?”

 

So...not _entirely_ small talk, then.

 

Rey felt unexpectedly breathless...and bold. She sucked her lower lip in and watched the way his eyes flicked down to take in the sight and suddenly wished she hadn’t already made plans with Rose.

 

She smiled anyway.

 

“When?”

 

__________________________________

  


Rey was mindlessly munching on popcorn as the stupid ads played across the movie theater screen when Rose came back in, carrying two soft drinks. The other woman settled into the seat next to her and quickly propped her feet up on the bar in front of her. Rey passed the popcorn over to her and accepted the second soft drink cup.

 

“How much have you had? Rey!” She smacked Rey’s shoulder jokingly as she investigated the half-empty, giant tub of popcorn in her lap.

 

“What? If you don’t know not to leave me with the popcorn by now…” Rey said, shrugging.

 

“You ate all the good bits!”

 

“I did not - there’s another layer of butter -”

 

“Shhh!” came a noise from a disgruntled man behind them.

 

“It’s the crap ads, for god’s sake!” Rose whirled around in her chair to hiss at the condescending patron.

 

The red haired man sneered back at them, but couldn’t seem to come up with a retort, and Rose stuck her tongue out at him for good measure before turning back around.

 

“Rose!” Rey whispered at her and Rose stuck her tongue out at Rey, too, before they both dissolved into giggles.

 

“God, at this rate we’ll have to switch seats,” the man said - more loudly than was necessary, and his accent came across clearly. Rey felt gratified when she whirled around and saw the man’s companions exchanging somewhat embarrassed glances. She decided to put on her thickest accent.

 

“Look, mate, just because you speak the Queen’s doesn’t mean you have to be a complete arse. It’s the ads. It’s not even the proper previews. Get over yourself, you pretentious prick.”

 

The ginger douche sputtered slightly and Rey smiled sweetly as she saw his face turning an interesting shade of red. Then she turned back around, met Rose’s fistbump with one of her own, and picked up her drink again.

 

“It’s too bad he’s got that accent,” Rose whispered to Rey, who raised an eyebrow. “I totally have a thing for British accents.”

 

Rey giggled softly. “Is that why we’re friends?”

 

Rose winked at her. “Bitch, it’s the only reason we’re friends.”

 

Rey laughed out loud at that. She and Rose heard the man behind them murmur something else - this time _much_ more quietly - in a snide tone of voice to his companions, but both women chose to ignore it. A few minutes later, the theater lights finally began to dim and Rey settled down further in her seat, following Rose’s example and propping her feet up.

 

An hour into _Jurassic World,_ Rey and Rose were extremely gratified to know that the pretentious ginger screamed like a little boy.

 

_____________________________

 

The sun dappled sidewalks lit her path to the restaurant that morning and Rey couldn’t help feeling _new_. New hope, new life, new light. In her ears, a singer crooned soothing sentiments about life and death and she felt rebirth embodied in every step.

 

“ _If the day is sunny, let my father say some words…_ ”

 

It was funny how love turned the world on like a lamp.

 

She stopped suddenly in the middle of the sidewalk.

 

No. Not love. Something like love. It was far, far too soon for love. And at the same time it might never be soon enough.

 

Rey forced herself to take a deep breath and kept walking.

 

She had to make it through a long day at work before she could even begin exploring the possibilities that one, single date might provide. Worse: she had to make it through her shift without giving it away that she _had_ a date, and avoid any and all potential hounding Finn, Poe, and Bebe were sure to make her suffer.

 

Humming softly to herself, Rey continued toward the restaurant while all around her the city was waking up to the possibilities of a new day.

  


“ _...when I’m gone don’t bury me…”_

  


The sunshine followed her footsteps.

  


_“...I will not lie where I can’t see.._.”

 

____________________________

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Y'all, I am screaming over all this new deleted scene footage, etc. Also, "ate a lemon" Hux having a thing for "flower too good for this world" Rose is my new aesthetic. 
> 
> Someone needs to make a music vid for Reylo to Miley's 7 Things. Where is the lie? 
> 
> Finally, this chapter was hard to manage because stepping outside the diner dynamic is difficult when this whole story was meant to be diner centric fluff. And I'd written snippets and then cobbled it all together later. But that's telling. Shhhh. Please enjoy. XOXO And please come talk to me. I'm reyhotlips on tumblr because my other tumblr is not reylo centric and I was tired of not being able to just rant about reylo and Star Wars all day. LOL
> 
> P.S. The song in this chapter is Washington's Underground: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=32hMnexI_M4


	6. take a walk with me

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> When Rey misses their date she can't help moping, but Ben has other ideas and luckily he knows the way to this woman's heart is through her stomach.

_______________________________________

Rey waved goodnight to Rose from across the street, then turned away from the front window with a wistful sigh. The dinner rush was long over and there were just a few stragglers left in the dining room: nursing their iced teas and conversations like it was going out of style. Rey made her rounds and carried a few empty plates back to the kitchen. Before another sigh could leave her lips, Finn practically pounced. 

 

“Ok, spill.”

 

“Spill what?” Rey sighed anyway, setting the plates down next to the sink. Finn rolled his eyes at her and turned back to the grill, continuing to scrape it down. 

 

“Whatever has you in a bother,” he explained, wagging a finger at her before putting both hands on the brush again. 

 

Rey watched him work a moment, then turned back to the sink and started scraping and rinsing the remaining dishes. 

 

“Was the dishwasher run already?” she asked, ignoring his question. 

 

“Rey! Come on.”

 

Rey turned her head and stuck out her tongue, never missing a beat with the dishes. Finn laughed some.

 

“Are you just worried about Bebe?” he finally asked and Rey paused. 

 

“Definitely that,” she admitted.

 

Bebe’s being rushed to the E.R. was, after all, why she’d missed her date with Ben. 

 

“Yeah. Poe said he’d call, but I haven’t heard from him yet.” Finn sounded worried as well and Rey turned to him.

 

“I’m sure they’re fine,” she said. “It’s Bebe. And Poe. They’re always fine, no matter what.”

 

“Meaning we’re the ones who aren’t fine, by extension?” Finn replied, joking. 

 

“Something like that,” Rey said, her expression wry. Her statement was punctuated by the phone in the kitchen ringing. It startled them both and Finn and Rey stood looking at it for a brief moment before Rey dropped the dirty dish in her hands into the sink to dash for it. 

 

Finn waited until she’d answered to turn back to the grill, suddenly scrubbing for all he was worth. 

 

“Poe?” Rey asked, breathless. “Oh, yes. We’re fine. Just a couple of stragglers left.” She paused. “Yes, I’ve got the dishes and no, Finn did not need my help.” Rey made a small, exasperated noise. “Yes, I know you don’t want me cooking, ever - Poe, stop. Just talk to me. How is she?”

 

Rey turned to watch Finn as she listened to Poe. Her other friend was stalwartly keeping busy, although she knew he was listening to every word she exchanged with their boss. Finn poured a little more water on the cooktop before beginning to wipe everything down, catching small glances over at her for any sign that things were okay. Rey suddenly gave a huge sigh of relief and closed her eyes.

 

“Poe, that’s great. So Bebe is fine, the baby is fine - got it.” She opened her eyes, smiling broadly, and gave a now watching Finn thumbs up. “No, please don’t worry. We have it covered tomorrow. Finn can call Jessika and see if she’s available.” She paused again before hastening to reassure Poe. “No, I promise, it’s okay. Even if she can’t come in, we will manage.” 

 

After another minute of platitudes and well wishes, Rey hung up the phone. She turned back to Finn, beaming.

 

“Nothing is seriously wrong. Bebe just needs to take it easier, Poe said. She might have to take some time off work. I promised Poe you’d call Jess. Otherwise Bebe’s uncle Art might have to come in.”

 

They made faces at each other. Art was a salty old man who was about half Poe’s height and twice his personality. He subbed for Bebe and Poe occasionally, only ‘subbed’ meant he practiced his sarcasm and dirty jokes on the customers, smugly fixed things around the restaurant that didn’t need fixing, and made a mess while doing it all. It wasn’t that they didn’t like or appreciate him, they just...preferred to see him at Bebe’s house parties and family gatherings, outside of work. His saving grace was that he made the best Salvadorian food any of them had ever tasted, and he usually brought some for everyone when he subbed...but even that was problematic, because it meant he parked his food truck right outside the restaurant. 

 

Finn nodded and wiped his hands on a towel after finishing with the appliances. “No problem. I’ll get Jess, trust me.” He grinned and winked, then shook his head. “Man, that is good news about Bebe. The way they rushed out of here earlier…”

 

“I know. I was scared, too. But they’re okay. Little baby Dameron is on his way, as scheduled.”

 

“That baby is going to be a girl, Rey.”

 

“Finn, I’m winning this pool.”

 

“There is no pool, it’s only the two of us betting!”

 

Rey laughed and stuck her tongue out again and Finn swatted at her with the towel. Rey sidestepped his attack and headed back to the dining room. 

 

“Finish the dishes for me!” she called over her shoulder. Finn’s good natured grumble was her only reply.

 

__________________________________________

 

Thirty minutes later, Rey was locking the door after the last patron had left the restaurant. She met Finn at the cash register as she began the reconciling process.

 

“You get the kitchen floor mopped already?” she asked, noting that he was taking off his apron. 

 

“Rey, I finished the floors  _ yesterday _ . Hurry up, woman.”

 

“You know I can’t just kick out our loyal customers,” she grumbled right back at him. She yawned and continued to count money. Finn kept an eye on the front windows and leaned over the counter to swipe a mint. Rey swatted at his hand.

 

“Everything costs money, Finn.”

 

“Yeah, yeah. So, you going to spill or not?”

 

“I don’t know what you mean,” Rey mumbled, distracted by the numbers.

 

“Yeah, you do, sugar.”

 

At that, Rey shook her head, but kept counting.

 

“It’s about tall, dark, and smoldering, isn’t it?”

 

“He has a name, Finn.”

 

“Remind me. I think I have damage to my brain cells from the heat he emits.”

 

“Finn. He’s not radioactive,” Rey said, finally giving in and looking up at him. 

 

“Maybe not, but you can’t deny he’s hot...or that he’s here.” 

 

“He - what?” Rey asked, confused.

 

Finn pushed off of the counter, slapped a palm down on her paperwork to get her attention, and pointed at the front. Then he sauntered away as he said over his shoulder, “You really thought I didn’t overhear you canceling your date with him earlier?”

 

Rey did a double take from staring at Ben through the front window back to the cook as she registered what he’d just said. 

 

“Finn!” Rey exclaimed and threw a mint after him. He turned, laughing at her, and caught it before he disappeared into the back. Rey glanced from the open drawer to Ben and back at the kitchen before making a decision. 

 

“Give me a minute?” she asked, holding up a finger at him and then pointing back in the direction Finn had gone. 

 

He smiled that goofy smile at her, held up all ten fingers, and pointed down the street. Then he mimed two of his fingers walking that way and coming back. His expression was ernest, but intense and Rey felt her heart beat faster. She gave him the biggest smile she could - not that it was hard to smile for him - and nodded. Ten minutes. He was going for a walk down the street and would be back for her in ten minutes. 

 

She watched him give her a thumbs up, a small wave, and then stuff his hands into his unfairly snug blue-jeans’ pockets.  As he moved away, out of sight of the windows, she hurriedly bent her head back to the cash drawer. She only had ten minutes to finish up, after all.

 

______________________________________

  
  


Ten minutes later on the dot, Ben was back in front of the restaurant. Only this time, the lights were off inside and Rey and Finn were standing outside, chatting and enjoying the leftover heat of what had been a balmy Spring day. 

 

Finn began elbowing Rey as Ben approached and Rey found she was glad the light had faded and that street lamps were their only illumination. It meant Ben probably couldn’t tell how badly she was blushing at his presence and her friend’s antics. Instead of holding his smoldering gaze - damn Finn for being right about that - Rey zeroed in on the plastic bag in one of his hands. 

 

“Did you go get food?” she asked, interrupting his greeting Finn.

 

Ben glanced down at the bag in his hand, lifted it a little, and ran his free hand through his hair. His expression was cautious. Rey reined in her urge to laugh. As if anyone ever needed to feel cautious bringing her food. 

 

“Oh. Yeah. I thought maybe we could at least have some street food, if I couldn’t take you out,” Ben said. He looked at her again and Rey felt lightheaded as she met his gaze. From beside her, Finn cleared his throat.

 

“Well, you two have fun. I’m going home. See you tomorrow, Rey.” 

 

“Oh! Ok. Thanks, Finn.”

 

Finn grinned at her, waggling his eyebrows some before giving her a big hug.

 

“Text me you get home ok?”

 

“Always,” Rey replied. She watched Finn walk away, trying to ignore the quiet sounds of Ben: shifting his weight from foot to foot, rustling the bag of food as he changed hands, sniffing once, twice as the scent of the blossoming linden trees carried on the evening breeze.

 

Despite the fact that her eyes were on her friend, Ben’s presence felt so solid and clear to her.  Rey could imagine how he might feel pressed against her: those strong, large hands gently gripping her shoulders, his lips shaping that goofy smile against her mouth. 

 

She suddenly felt hyper aware of him despite his standing at least three feet away, and flushed with the heat of that awareness. 

 

In an attempt to shake the feeling that this date might mean so much more than late night food and conversation, Rey gave herself a small shake. Then she turned to Ben with the brightest smile she could muster.

 

“So, what did you bring me?”

 

Ben lifted the bag again and offered it to her. She took it and began to look inside.

 

“Uh, pupusas...I don’t know if you’d ever had them before, but there’s a great food truck that does them -”

 

Rey began laughing. “Run by this really short, rude guy?”

 

“Ah, I don’t know if I’d call him rude, exactly...he kind of frightens me, actually, but in the interest of full disclosure, he knows one of my uncles, so he thinks that makes me family.”

 

“Oh, I’m sorry.” Rey covered her smile with her hand and tried to stop laughing. “You know Art? Really?”

 

“Oh, yeah. Do you - how do you know him?”

 

“You know Poe’s wife, Bebe, our other waitress?” When Ben nodded, Rey went on. “He’s Bebe’s uncle,” she said, and felt her smile grow so wide her cheeks hurt. What a small world.

 

“No kidding. Tell her I’m sorry,” Ben deadpanned.

 

Rey laughed again. “I will, when I see her.”

 

Ben smiled again, his gaze intent on her, and Rey suddenly had the strangest feeling - as if he might be basking in the sound of her laughter. It made her feel special, important, to think that this man wanted so badly to see her smile. It also made her a little sad. What must his life be like to be so affected by one woman’s joy?

 

“So,” she said breathlessly as she stopped laughing. She pressed her lips together and eyed him up and down. “Want to walk me home?”

 

To her delight and her discomfort, he eyed her right back. Then, clearly and loudly, his stomach growled. Rey’s eyebrows rose in surprise and Ben grimaced before glaring down at his middle. He looked back up at her from beneath his shock of black hair. 

 

“If we can eat while we walk,” he admitted.

 

Rey grinned at him. “I thought you’d never ask.”

 

______________________________________________

 

They stopped at one of the benches in his park to open their dinners up and fill the pupusas with curtido. Then they began the trek back to Rey’s apartment building, juggling the delicious, stuffed tortillas and a small container of salsa between them. They somehow ended up  taking turns holding the pupusas, dipping them, letting one another take bites of the cheesy, bean and vegetable laden goodness and before they were on her street, it felt as if every wall standing between them had been toppled by the simple act of sharing a meal in the night; the cool spring air brushing their faces and hands, bringing the smell of fresh earth and new beginnings to mingle with their lives of concrete and smoke. 

 

By the time they reached Rey’s street, she felt as if she’d known him forever. Like a simple conversation had revealed his soul to her - his awkward responses, his dry humor, his smile that seemed so tentative, but so readily available to her and her alone. Like he was surprised she laughed...surprised she wanted to talk to him.

 

Surprised she might care.

 

She stopped shy of her building and reached over to take the trash from their quick meal in her hands. He stopped her with a gentle tug. 

 

“I’ve got it, Rey,” he said, and his expression was kind and open, as if he might be willing to always have it - whatever  _ it  _ was in this equation. 

 

She smiled at him and released the bag. “Alright,” she replied, shrugging a little. She watched him jog over to a nearby trash bin and dispose of the garbage before heading back to her. He shoved his hands back in his pockets and after a second of staring at her intensely, he glanced up.

 

“This your building?” he asked. She nodded and stepped closer to him and he looked back down at her.

 

Somewhere above them, one of the tenants was playing music and it filtered down to them through an open window.

 

“Thanks for dinner,” Rey found herself saying. She’d taken another step closer at some point, or else Ben had. Not that it mattered. In the bright lights from the front steps of her building, she could see every mole on his strange, handsome face and it seemed to her it was a constellation, designed to direct her way home.

 

That or the curtido had been bad.

 

One of them huffed and it was a small, laugh-like noise between them that drew her attention to his lips. 

 

“Rey?”

 

“Hmm?”

 

Rey forced herself to meet his gaze and suddenly she didn’t have to worry that she wasn’t paying any attention to what he said. She didn’t think he was paying much attention to the conversation at this point, either. Not if the way his pupils were blown wide was any indication.

 

“I -” He swallowed thickly and Rey watched the way his mouth moved, his adam’s apple bobbing beneath the beautiful, rough grain of a five o’clock shadow three days too deep. “I asked if we could try this again. Dinner, I mean.”

 

When had she closed the distance between them? When had he placed a hand against her cheek, his touch so hesitant, full of such yearning? Ah, but if there was one thing she knew in life, it was yearning.

 

The lyrics of the song playing in a neighbor’s apartment were just clear enough in that moment and it was as if the stranger had hand picked the music for them. 

 

“ _ Stay with me tonight...let your senses lose this fight... _ ”

 

Rey took a breath, felt it rattle in and out of her lungs, past her lips without any obstruction. 

 

“Yes,” she heard herself whisper and then his lips were on hers, soft and dry, tasting of spice and salt and she couldn’t help taking his tongue in her mouth,sliding her own past his lips, letting his hands caress her neck and shoulders as he drew her closer.

 

Was this how love happened? You drew it in by inhaling the air surrounding you, filled up with the sense of the person standing before you who asked for entrance to your life, your heart.

 

“ _ Let me show you how...you should never be without _ …”

 

The scent of the linden trees overpowered her senses, riding along a wave of something that was so obviously Ben, and Rey couldn’t help closing her eyes and giving in for the first time in her life - astonished at herself and yet not at all surprised. 

 

_ Easy. _

____________________________________________________

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> First) I'm sorry this took so long. However, the story is plotted out now, so :D
> 
> Second) That's all I got. :* And this isn't a sex scene kinda story, so. Not sorry. You want yer smut, go elsewhere. (No judgement, I'm just not writing it here.)
> 
> Third) Song in chapter is: Wilderness by Jon Bryant. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hZ_O7-I1F7s

**Author's Note:**

> Chapter title from The Moon Song by Amy Andrews


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